An easy way to prepare sweet potato for your bird

Everyone knows that cooked sweet potato is very nutritious for parrots. I found it to be kind of pain to prepare though. I would steam them in the microwave and one part would get too mushy while another section would hardly be cooked. And peeling the skin from the cooked flesh was messy.

I found a way to cook sweet potatoes in the microwave and they come out great! Super easy too.

1. Wash the sweet potatoes well (I scrub them with soap and water and rinse well). Then peel.

2. Dice the potatoes to the size your birds prefer. I dice mine to about 1/4 of an inch or so. Similar in size to the diced carrots in the frozen veggie mixes, maybe just slightly larger.

3. Place the diced potatoes in a microwave safe dish and spread them evenly. Do not add any water. Cover loosely with a lid to allow the build-up of steam while cooking. Do not "snap on" the lid. You don't want the dish to explode! Again no need to add water. The water content naturally contained in the sweet potato will provide just enough steam for cooking.

4. Cook in the microwave on high heat for about 2-3 minutes per potato. I suggest you check it after two minutes and then cook more as needed. You want the dices cooked "al dente"  not overdone.

5. Once cooked allow them to cool and serve. Place leftovers in the fridge. I add these dices to my veggie recipes for added nutrition. Weaning babies especially love the soft texture and mild sweetness.

I think this would probably work with pumpkins too. I'll have to try this when the fall pumpkins arrive!

Product Review: Oven Fresh Bites

I was given a sample of Caitec's Oven Fresh Bites while shopping the vendors at Parrot Festival. I got the medium size which is a nice foot holding, nugget size for small to medium birds (conures, caiques, senegals up to amazons and african greys). When I opened the package, it smelled really nice. Sort of like oatmeal cookies. The ingredient list is impressive with lots of natural ingredients balanced with vitamins and minerals. There are no artificial colors or flavors. I gave some nuggets to my following birds for testing: Jewel (just weaned hahns mini-macaw), Tutti (yellow naped amazon), Baby Blue (blue quaker), Cricket (meyers parrot) and a few green cheeks that were in the process of weaning.

Every single bird loved the pellets. I was quite surprised Tutti liked them as she does not care for pellets and it is a struggle to get her to eat her share of them. And I wasn't sure my young hahns macaw would have the dexterity to hold and eat the nuggets, but she managed just fine. The texture of the nuggets are crunchy, but not as hard/compressed as other popular pellet brands. I was able to break them in pieces fairly easily.

They are a little more expensive than some of the other popular brands, but given the high quality ingredients, I can understand why. Even so, I feel they would be well within the budget of most pet bird owners. They are nutritionally complete so they can be fed as a base diet or as a nutritious treat.

I definitely plan on ordering another bag to have on hand here. My birds eat these pellets as treats and enjoy munching on them in the evening when we all have our "snack" together. My meyers parrot gives me the "flashing" eyes when she sees me coming with the bag!

All in all, I would give a thumbs up to these pellets. Give them a try!

A Classic is Back! Parrots Treasure Bird Toys

For those of you that have been into parrots for a few years (smile), you may remember Parrots Treasure. One of the original bird toy manufacturers and certainly one of the first (if not THE first) to introduce the concept of foraging; they use natural wood, vegetable tanned leather and pine nuts in their unique toys. These toys are a hit with all parrots. Birds just can't resist working to get at that little pine nut! These toys are also loved by greys or shy birds that may be intimidated by brightly colored toys and/or with rescue birds that are learning about toys.

They have a wide assortment of adorable designs - hanging and foot toys. All with a generous allotment of pine nuts embedded in the wood. Each toy is handmade to the highest quality standards. What I also like about them is that they are just the right texture. The wood is soft enough to make your bird feel like he is making some progress - but not so soft that the toy will be on the floor of the cage in an hour. These toys are very safe and can be used inside the cage as well as on any play areas. There are no dangerous components that your bird will get hung up on and no zinc parts to worry about.

I have a friend with a yellow collared macaw that just loves the fun pops. Fun pops are a foot toy with a "rattle" on the handle. Whenever she starts to get loud, my friend gives her one of these and that keeps her busy for a while! I also like the "all leather toy". Birds love to sink their beaks into all those leather knots and/or work to get them untied.

They are very knowledgeable. If you are not sure what to order, just let them know what type of bird you have, and they will be happy to recommend appropriate toys.

Check out their website at www.parrotstreasure.com and tell them Christine from Almost Angels Aviary sent you!

Parrot Festival is coming up!

To those who don't know, Parrot Festival is a conference held every January in Houston. It is put on by the National Parrot Rescue and Preservation Foundation (NPRPF) which is a bird rescue and education organization. The conference features a wide array of speakers discussing different topics regarding parrots. There are always a lot of great vendors there showcasing new and interesting bird toys, artwork, clothing, bird food, perches and much more! If there is a product for birds or their people, you will see it at Parrot Festival (laugh).

Their speaker list is always impressive. Avian vets, breeders, behaviorists, professional trainers, conservationists and nutritionists are featured. I suggest you attend all the talks, even if you think the subject does not apply to you.  I guarantee you will learn something from every single speaker.

For the social butterflies, on Friday night they have a casual meet and greet where you can mingle with the speakers and other attendees. On Saturday night they have a dinner/galah and silent and live auction which features unique items donated by vendors and attendees. It is a lot of fun. All the proceeds go to the NPRPF.

In the midst of all this is a Texas sized raffle featuring tons of great stuff! 

The conference this year is January 20-22 at the Doubletree Hotel near the Houston Intercontinental Airport. Rooms are still available, but it is good to get your reservation early as they fill up fast. For more information go to http://www.parrotfestival.org/festivalinfo.html and click on the "Parrot Festival" tab. A pop up menu will appear with information options.

Hope to see you there!

Holiday Travel What to do with Birdie?

Around this time of year I get a lot of inquiries about what to do with pet birds when their owners are traveling over the holidays. In general, I feel it is best for the bird to remain in the home. Arrange to have a trusted neighbor or friend come over once or twice a day to check on and take care of your feathered friend. Leaving the bird in it's home environment is the least stressful option.

Don't have a friend or neighbor that is available? Having a pet sitter come in is the next best option. Don't know anyone? Ask your pet owning friends/neighbors for a referral. There is usually a responsible teenager in the area offering pet sitting services this time of year as they are trying to earn a few extra dollars during their holiday break. Or look up pet sitters in the yellow pages. Professional pet sitters are usually booked this time of year, so you will need to reserve them early.

Another place to find a pet sitter is your vet's office. Call them and see if they have someone they recommend. Some of the vet tech's pet sit on the side for extra cash.

A trusted friend who is familiar with birds may be able to keep your bird at their home for a few days while you are away. I find this option works better with the smaller birds, as they are more portable.

The last option is to board your bird at a facility. Most avian vets offer boarding services as well as some bird stores. This is my least favorite option as you are exposing your bird to other strange birds which is a big health risk. On the plus side, you know your bird is being looked after by competant caretakers while you are away. If you are going to board, check out the facility carefully.

If you are going to leave your bird at home, have the petsitter play a radio during the day to keep your bird company. Plug in a nightlight so your bird can see if something frightens him during the night. Provide him with his favorite toys and food while you are away. Foraging toys and the Planet Pleasures "Pinata" toys will keep your bird busy during the day. Inspect your bird's toys/perches carefully and remove any (such as cotton rope toys or ring type toys) that could entangle your bird while he is not being supervised. Also inspect all the quick links in the cage and be sure they are closed and fastened securely. Door latches should be checked to be sure they close securely.

With some pre-planning, you and your bird can both have a worry free holiday travel season!

Zupreem Lory Nectar Discontinued

For those of you who have lories and feed Zupreem Lory Nectar, I wanted to let you know this product is being discontinued by the manufacturer. I suggest you buy an extra bag while it is still in stock. Then you can mix the Zupreem and the new brand of nectar you will be using together to slowly transition your lory to the new brand. Lories can be very particular about their nectar (whether you feed it dry or wet). A slow transition is much better than just switching brands and hoping your lory will eat it.

A good alternative for Zupreem that is well accepted by lories is Avico Lory Life (this company has been making lory diets for years. They are one of the first companies to produce a commercially available lory diet). You can buy this product at Avico Cuttlebone Plus. Here is their website:  http://www.avicoproducts.com/  I think their fruit gel product looks pretty interesting too. I plan on ordering some in the future to see how my lories like it! Avico products are very popular with professional lory breeders and zoos around the country.

Two other brands of lory powders that are available are Roudybush and Goldenfeast. I personally have not tried the Roudybush brand. Would love to hear opinions from readers who use it. Munchkin (my pet red flanked lory) did not care much for the Goldenfeast brand. But he can be fussy (laugh).

Hope this helps all you lory owners out there!

Good places to shop online!

Many of us shop the internet for our parrot supplies. Most local stores just don't have what we need and the prices tend to be more competitive online. Unfortunately as with everything else these days, shipping has increased substantially. Many times, the cost of shipping is equal to or exceeds the cost of the order itself!

There are a few good sites that have a good selection of bird supplies as well as free shipping if you meet their minimum order amount. I recommend that you stock up when placing your order to avoid paying shipping on smaller, more frequent orders. 

Here are three sites to check out:

Dr. Fosters & Smith:  http://www.drsfostersmith.com/  This is the site I refer my customers to when they are purchasing supplies for their new bird. They have a great selection of bird supplies (and other animal supplies as well) and offer free shipping if your order is over $49! Their prices are excellent and they always seem to have something new. I highly recommend you sign up for their mail catalogs!

Pet Solutions: http://www.petsolutions.com/storefront/bird/cbird-p1.html  This site has some really good prices on their larger bags of food which when you factor in free shipping is a good deal. They also have a nice selection of products. I've always received my orders very quickly from them.

That Pet Place: http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/cat/expand/243/category.web They usually run free shipping specials so you have to be on the lookout. Sign up on their email list and they will send you a notification when they have a sale. Right now, they are offering free shipping on orders over $49. Again a nice selection of products for all your pets, not just birds.

If you know of some other parrot supply sites that have good prices and competitive shipping rates let me know.